1. Chapter 8
Political Geography

2. How is space politically organized into States and Nations?
Political Geography is the study of the political organization of the world.
Political geographers study the spatial manifestations of political processes at various scales.
State: A politically organized territory with a permanent population, a defined territory, and a government.
Under international law, states are sovereign, and they have the right to defend their territorial integrity against incursion from other states.

3. United Nations Members
Fig. 8-1: The UN has increased from 51 members in 1945 to 191 in 2003.

4. Nations
The popular media and press often use the words nation, state, and country interchangeably.
Political geographers use “State” and “Country” interchangeably (preferring state), but the word “Nation” is distinct. Nation is a culturally defined term—a group of people with a shared past.

5. Large and Small States
Large states include: Russia, China, Canada, US and Brazil
Microstates (very small states) include:
Monaco and Vatican city.

6. Three international geopolitical theories
Friedrich Ratzel: Organic Theory—
States that did not expand their land area would disintegrate
Halford Mackinder: Heartland Theory—
Eurasian landmass was the world’s heartland and key to world domination
Nicholas Spykman: Rimland Theory—
The rimland surrounding the heartland and including the world’s oceans was key to world power.

8. Development of the State Concept
The concept of dividing the world into a collection of independent states is recent. Prior to the 1800’s—Earth’s surface was organized into:
City-States
Empires
Tribes

9. Ancient States
The ancient Fertile Crescent formed an arc between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea.
The eastern end, Mesopotamia, was centered in the valley formed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers—in present day Iraq.
It then curved westward over the desert—encompassing present day Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
The Nile Valley of Egypt is sometimes regarded as an extension of the Fertile Crescent.

10. The Fertile Crescent
Fig. 8-3: The Fertile Crescent was the site of early city-states and a succession of ancient empires.

11. Colonies
A colony is a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being completely independent.
European states came to control much of the world through colonialism.
This is an effort by one country to establish settlements and impose its political, economic and cultural principles on such territory.

12. European states established colonies elsewhere in the world for three basic reasons:
European missionaries established colonies to promote Christianity.
Colonies provided resources that helped the economy of European states.
European states considered the number of colonies to be an indicator of relative power.
The three motives---
GOD, GOLD, GLORY!

14. Colonial Possessions, 1914
By the outbreak of World War I, European states held colonies throughout the world, especially throughout Africa and in much of Asia.

15. Colonial Possessions, 2003
Most of the remaining colonies are small islands in the Pacific or Caribbean.

16. Boundaries and Boundary Problems of States
shapes of states
five basic shapes
compact—The distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.
prorupted an otherwise large projecting extension is a prorupted states
Eelongated—states with a long narrow shape
fragmented—includes discontinuous pieces of territory separated by land or water
perforated—a state that completely surrounds another state

17. Political Geography

18. Microstates

19. Tonga-Microstate

20. African States
Southern, central, and eastern Africa include states that are compact, elongated, prorupted, fragmented, and perforated.

21. Why the shape matters: Compact: efficient, easier to defend
Prorupted: provides state with access to a resource, also as a “buffer” boundary
Elongated: Communication problems
Fragmented: Problematic, “unity” problems
Perforated: The state within is dependent on the state that encompasses it.

22. Gerrymandering: Florida and Georgia
The dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority
Fig. 8-11: State legislature boundaries were drawn to maximize the number of legislators for Republicans in Florida and Democrats in Georgia.

23. Cooperation among States
Political and military cooperation
The United Nations
Regional military alliances
Economic cooperation
The European Union

24. The European Union and NATO
Fig. 8-12: NATO and the European Union have expanded and accepted new members as the Warsaw Pact and COMECON have disintegrated.

25. European Boundary Changes
Fig. 8-13: Twentieth-century boundary changes in Europe, 1914 to Germany’s boundaries changed after each world war and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

26. Ethnic Groups in Southwest Asia
Fig. 8-14: Ethnic boundaries do not match country boundaries, especially in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

27. Terrorism
The systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a government into granting its demands.
Terrorism by individuals and organizations
State support for terrorism
Libya
Afghanistan
Iraq
Iran

28. Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda Founded by Osama bin Laden
Consists of numerous cells.
Unites jihad fighters
Uses fundamentalist Islam to justify attacks

29. World Trade Center
Ikonos satellite images of the World Trade Center June 30, 2000, before the attack.

30. World Trade Center Site September 15, 2001
Ikonos satellite images of the World Trade Center September 15, 2001, after the attack.

31. Be happy! We’re getting there!

32. North Korea Discussion Groups
Group 1: Group 2: Group 3: Group 4: Destiny Robert Kyler Shalanda Collin Tanner Raphael Rami Davis Katherine Maddie S Taylor Go. Megan Maddy L Henry G Max Group 5: Group 6: Group 7: Melissa Henry H Stanley Taylor G Will Nathan Catie Pierce Kameron Ceara Zach

33. North Korea Nuclear Weapons: Discussion Directions
Each person in your group is given a different option as to how to respond to North Korea’s nuclear threat. Each person reads their option and reports out to the group.
Together discuss and complete the pro and con list for each solution.
Together decide which option your group supports and why. Be prepared to defend your choice.

34. With your group when finished:
Create a poster from the perspective of what your group thinks is the best option for dealing with North Korea. You should explain:
What your option is advocating for U.S. policy
Three arguments in support of your option
At least two arguments against your opinion.